Modi Assures Southern States on Lok Sabha Seat Stability Amid Delimitation Talks

Prime Minister's Assurance on Lok Sabha Seats

During an election rally in Kerala on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that states with stabilized populations will retain their Lok Sabha seats during the upcoming delimitation process.

Modi emphasized that all states would gain from a proposed expansion of the Lower House of Parliament while addressing the crowd in Thiruvalla, marking his initial remarks regarding the delimitation exercise.

Delimitation involves defining the boundaries of electoral constituencies. According to Article 82 of the Constitution, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats must be adjusted based on population changes following each census.

The current Lok Sabha's composition is based on the 1971 census, and the 84th Amendment Act of 2001 has frozen constituency boundaries until the first census after 2026.

The ongoing population census, which commenced on Wednesday, is projected to conclude in 2027.

Southern states, which have experienced slower population growth, have voiced concerns that a population-based delimitation could unfairly benefit northern and central states in the Lok Sabha.

Modi remarked that Kerala and Tamil Nadu, among others, have effectively managed their population growth. He countered claims that these states would see a reduction in their parliamentary representation due to lower population growth.

The Prime Minister assured that the Union government aims to establish a legislative guarantee that no state, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, or Telangana, would lose Lok Sabha seats.

The Budget Session of Parliament, initially set to conclude on Thursday, will reconvene on April 16 for three days to amend the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act.

Modi explained that the session's extension aims to guarantee that states will not lose Lok Sabha seats and to ensure that the seats reserved for women are additional, thus increasing the total number of seats.

The 2023 Act reserves 33% of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats for women, but these reservations will only take effect after a census and subsequent delimitation.

During the reconvened session, the Union government plans to introduce bills to amend the 2023 Act, detaching the 33% women’s quota from the 2027 census and instead proceeding with the delimitation process.

This decision has faced criticism from opposition parties, who argue that the government's intention to introduce amendments during the Assembly elections is aimed at gaining electoral advantages.

Polling in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will conclude on April 9, while election campaigning in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will continue until April 16.

Tamil Nadu will conduct its elections in a single phase on April 23, and West Bengal will hold voting in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.

In response to Modi’s comments, the Congress party labeled them as a distraction amid the country’s pressing economic and foreign policy challenges.

Party leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Prime Minister of making misleading statements regarding the implications of increasing Lok Sabha seats.

He pointed out that Modi's assertion that South Indian states would not be adversely affected by a 50% increase in Lok Sabha strength is misleading, as it would exacerbate the existing disparity in representation.

Ramesh noted that the current gap of 60 seats between Uttar Pradesh and Kerala could widen to 90, and the difference between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu could increase from 41 to at least 61.

He concluded that the proposal would disproportionately benefit larger, more populous states, further diminishing the influence of smaller states like those in the South, Punjab, Haryana, and the Northeast.